Japan’s top diplomat in Atlanta, who presided over multiple 50-year anniversary ceremonies during his three-year tenure, including a commemoration of the Consulate General of Japan’s opening, is set to leave at the end of September.
Mio Maeda arrived in the city in October 2022, just as the pandemic-era tentativeness was wearing off, and the community was starting to once again embrace live gatherings.
And just in time, as 2023 brought an array of half-century celebrations in the Georgia-Japan relationship which Mr. Maeda was often the honored guest.
Watch Mr. Maeda ring the Peace Bell at The Carter Center.
In October 2023, a year into his term, Mr. Maeda traveled back to Japan to join the Southeast U.S. Japan alliance conference in Tokyo, an event that was followed a week later by a reception marking the 50th anniversary of the Georgia office in Japan.
The following year, 2024, would be the consulate’s turn, marking its golden jubilee in Atlanta with a series of events including a dinner at Mr. Maeda’s residence that included a showcase of Japanese products. The consul general took the chance to award Gov. Nathan Deal with the Order of the Rising Sun.
Current Gov. Brian Kemp, presented Mr. Maeda with a commendation during Japan Day at the Capitol, an annual celebration put on by the state’s Georgia-Japan Legislative Caucus.
The consulate’s arrival 50 years ago coincided with the first Japanese investments in the state from Murata and zipper manufacturer YKK’s factory in Macon, both still operational today. Georgia companies like Aflac Inc. have also spent 50 years in the country, showing that the partnership goes in both directions. Mr. Maeda even unveiled a sign at the Atlanta Botanical Garden marking 50 years since the consulate gifted its first cherry trees along Piedmont Avenue.
Mio Maeda speaks during the October 2023 SEUS-Japan conference in Tokyo. Credit: Trevor Williams / Global Atlanta
Mr. Maeda meets the mayor of Miyoshi city with a 2023 Georgia delegation to Konu.
Mr. Maeda accompanied the Georgia group to the Shoganji Temple in Konu, where the so-called Peace Bell at The Carter Center originated.
Mr. Maeda attends Georgia’s 50th anniversary reception at the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo.
Mr. Maeda accompanied the Georgia group to the Shoganji Temple in Konu, where the so-called Peace Bell at The Carter Center originated.
Mr. Maeda accompanied the Georgia group to the Shoganji Temple in Konu, where the so-called Peace Bell at The Carter Center originated.
Jessica Cork introduces Consul General Mio Maeda, left, to Miyoshi Mayor Satoshi Fukuoka.
Amanda Bennett joins Japan-America Society’s Yoshi Domoto and other officials, as well as Consul General Mio Maeda, third from left, to unveil the signage. Credit: Trevor Williams / Global Atlanta
Consul General Mio Maeda receives a proclamation from the Georgia State Senate, presented by State Sen. Ed Harbison.
To officially inaugurate the annual dinner, Mr. Lancaster, left, joined new Japan-America Society chair Mr. Whitcomb, right, Consul General Mio Maeda and Mary Waters, deputy commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s International Trade Division, on stage to participate in a kagami biraki, or “opening the mirror,” ceremony. Credit: Consulate General of Japan
That investment came during the tenure of then-Gov. Jimmy Carter, who took a close relationship with Japan into his presidency and post-presidential work overseas.
That connection has been highlighted by the Peace Bell project at The Carter Center. While Mr. Maeda arrived after its installation, he reinforced it through multiple engagements at the center, including a bell-ringing ceremony after a special edition of Global Atlanta’s Consular Conversations series held on-site. He also traveled with a Georgia delegation to Konu, a district of Miyoshi city in Hiroshima prefecture where the bell originated.
In a letter to the consulate’s contacts and supporters, Mr. Maeda intimated that he’d been nervous to lead a mission in the U.S., having not been
“But during these three years working in the Southeast U.S., I am glad to say that I have spent one of the most pleasant and memorable time in my career as a diplomat,” he wrote. “Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for the strong support, fruitful collaboration, warm kindness, and heartfelt friendship you extended to me when I undertake my duties as Consul-General of Japan in charge of the Southeast.”
He noted that he would be seconded to other organs of the Japanese government for about a year before taking up another posting, likely abroad.
His successor will take up the Atlanta post in mid-October, just before the SEUS-Japan conference, held once again in Tokyo.
Watch Mr. Maeda make the “Play Ball” call on Japan Community Night at the Atlanta Braves:
From the archive:
AloJapan.com